


Science Waits for No Wo(man) (or their significant others)

by AngeNoir



Series: Write-Away Giveaway 2 Fills [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Jane Foster, F/M, Fluff, Jane Foster is a bad influence on Tony and Bruce, M/M, Science, Science Bros, being the significant other of a scientist can be hard, compliant with Thor 2 and Captain America 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1736048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeNoir/pseuds/AngeNoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been five days since Jane took Tony and Bruce into the lab, and Steve and Thor and Clint are getting worried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Science Waits for No Wo(man) (or their significant others)

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for irisaya, who prompted this:
> 
>  
> 
> _Thor brings Jane to meet everyone and Bruce, Tony, and Jane have a flail-fest about each other and science. Their SOs get sad/jealous of how they’re spending EVEN MORE time in the labs than before because of this._

Steve rounded the corner and stopped when he saw a hulking shadow sprawled out in the living room, lit up only briefly when the television screen flickered. With a wry smile, he came around the corner of the couch and slid down next to Thor. “Long night?” he asked.

Thor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, gesturing to the television screen. “Aye.”

After a few moments, Steve murmured, “Alone?”

With another great sigh, Thor turned to look at Steve wryly. “My Jane has not left the lab yet, no.”

“Tell me about it.”

Steve jerked in surprise, because Clint was in the far armchair, still and blending in with the shadows there to the point that Steve really hadn’t known he was there until he spoke up. Then he realized what Clint said and winced. “Bruce too?”

“He’s normally very good at leaving the lab when it’s time to sleep,” Clint grumbled. “Yeah, Tony talks him in to staying late, but overnight? Damn, Thor. Jane and Tony must have really done a number on him.”

“Aye, Jane is very enthusiastic about learning how the world is put together. She was very fascinated by Asgard, and the simplest of toys there,” Thor murmured. “I bought a ball for her, when I returned.”

“That’s probably what they’re working on, then,” Steve murmured, rubbing the back of his neck and narrowing his eyes at the television screen. “Thor, what cartoon is this?”

Thor’s eyes ducked shyly. “It is a special cartoon, one that has not been on your television for some years, if I am not mistaken. I asked friend Jarvis if he could locate the episodes for me. Darcy recommended them.”

“It’s Sailor Moon. Most badass cartoon ever. Loved it. Of course, I watched it in Bengali, and didn’t understand a word of it, but the animation was very nice,” Clint yawned.

***

Steve stood outside Bruce’s lab, watching the chaos that was taking place within. There was a small piece of circular metal bouncing around at high speeds, and Jane and Tony were both tripping over themselves trying to catch it even as Bruce sat in the middle of the room and either was laughing into his hands or trying to keep calm. Steve wasn’t sure which one he preferred, really.

Jane saw him first, and she came to an awkward, ungainly stop, glancing over at Tony, who had just thrown himself over the top of the table and crushed the bouncing piece of metal beneath him.

Bruce was the one who waved at Steve, and since the door opened when Bruce waved, Steve assumed it was the shorter scientist who had invited Steve in. “You need something?” he asked, and his face looked like it was fighting not to laugh.

“Dinner? It’s movie night, you know, and we were wondering – it’s your turn to pick, actually…” Steve trailed off hopefully.

“Kinda busy, Steve,” Tony grunted from where he was curled on top of the metal piece.

Jane bit her lip. “We’re trying to – trying to figure out the strength of the magnetic field necessary to keep the ball aloft under its own power and we’re pretty close to it, we feel. We think.”

Bruce sighed. “Why don’t you tell Clint I’ll switch my day with him, and we’ll come up when we’ve figured this out?”

“We were really hoping to have a meal together, really,” Steve said quietly.

“Just – another thirty minutes. An hour. Maybe two hours. Tops,” Tony growled from his position, and now that Steve was looking closely at Tony, it appeared that Tony was only just managing to keep the metal from flying up again – his body was doing this odd little jumping movement up off the floor and then crushing down again.

“…Right,” Steve said. “Well, JARVIS will let us know when you come up, so we can heat up your food, right?”

“Of course, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS replied promptly.

They didn’t come up to eat.

***

“It’s not just that I wish they would come up,” Steve said mournfully. “It’s that I’m not that stupid. They don’t need to hide away while they’re doing smart things. Hell, Clint’s better than I am because he’s got the advantage of growing up around the—”

“I wouldn’t be too quick to lump me in with you there, Steve,” Clint muttered.

“I understand your frustration, Steven,” Thor rumbled. “I too cannot understand why they sequester away. There is much to be done together, and I have yet to have a full night with Jane since we have arrived five days ago.”

Steve half-heartedly rolled the die and moved his piece across the board. “I’m just saying, they don’t need to hide there. They can come up and talk shop while here with us. We’re a team and I wouldn’t change Tony for the world but at least when it’s just him I can coax him away.”

“I know what you mean there,” Clint said, twisting his hand when he threw the die and scowling when it rolled a one. “I could talk Bruce out of the lab on his own. With them there…”

“Well, then, if you can all remove your respective partners when they’re on their own, why don’t you go down in force to bring them up?”

The three of them turned to see Natasha and Sam stepping briskly out of the elevator, Natasha taking off her jacket to reveal a thin tank.

“Where’s Bucky?” Steve asked.

“Stopped to pick up some donuts,” Sam said nonchalantly. “What’s going on with you three? Moping around like someone killed your puppies like this, someone will seriously doubt you guys are the mighty Avengers, you know?”

That brought up a small smile in Clint, but it was Thor who replied, “Our partners are fascinated by the workings of the world, much like my brother is, and it calls to them stronger than we could hope to call. Instead of relaxing together, we sit here and wait for their interest to wane in their newest project.”

“What is their newest project?” Natasha asked, pushing into Clint’s space so that she could sit on the chair next to him, until finally he sighed and gave her the chair, moving to the arm.

Thor sighed heavily. “When on Asgard, Jane was fascinated by a ball some children were playing with. I thought it a rather homely gift, but one she would much appreciate, and gave it to her as an intention to court. We were already on our way here, and she took the toy with her to Tony and Bruce’s workspaces. They have not come out but briefly, never when one of us could catch them, for the past five days.”

Natasha held out her hand imperiously, and Clint sighed and handed over the die. “So go down there and drag them out,” she said simply, rolling Clint a five to his indignant gasps.

Steve looked at Thor and Thor looked at Steve. Hitching a shoulder up, Steve said, “I’ve done more than that to get Tony out of his workshop. And we’ll be all together soon, with Bucky coming back. We could make it a video game tournament. Or, you know, that movie night we never got to have.”

***

Steve stood outside the door of Bruce’s lab again, watching as Jane and Tony argued back and forth while Bruce undid a part of the metal construction on the table between the three of them. This time, Bruce noticed him first, and smiled tiredly. The dark circles under his eyes made him look like a raccoon, scruffy and adorable, and when he opened the door he opened his mouth and then paused. “Thor and Clint are here with you,” he said hesitantly.

Steve was familiar with that stage – Tony hit it often enough, where he noticed his surroundings and described them but couldn’t comprehend the implications of what he was seeing.

“That’s right,” he said, voice soft with amusement, and he moved forward into the lab even as Clint stepped up to Bruce and gently cupped Bruce’s face.

“Hey there,” Clint said, voice rough. “I missed you.”

“I – oh,” Bruce said.

“Thor! Thor, we managed, oof, we managed to make a crude replica, I—” Jane was excited, tripping over her feet as she held a small ball of metal in her hands, depositing it in Thor’s ready hand. Thor gently curled his fingers around it, his other arm curving around her waist, and she began explaining the science behind it as Steve moved around the table and set a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“We’re so close, I think we can increase the scale, but that ball of Thor’s can do this weird rearrangement of panels in midair and that’s kinda like my suit, you know?” Tony said immediately, turning to Steve. “I think it’s similar. Do you think it’s similar?”

“I know you guys have energy bars and Red Bulls down here,” Steve said warmly, “but let’s get some popcorn in you, huh?”

“I hate vegetables – did you say popcorn?” Tony paused, and even though he went still, Steve could still see the tense muscles, the barely concealed trembling, overeager vibrations caused by too little sleep and too many energy drinks.

Steve nodded gravely. “I did. We never did have our movie night, and now Natasha and Sam and Bucky are back. I think we should call up that Chinese place on the corner, make an afternoon and night of it. It’s Bruce’s turn to pick, but we all know he’s probably going to pick Lord of the Rings, and I’d love to watch all three of them in a row.”

Tony rocked back on his heels, glancing down at the table and the tools scattered haphazardly on the surface. “I – that will take a while, though, and we’re so close—”

“Jane says you’ve got a working model,” Thor said equitably. “If you wish to improve upon it, it would not harm to unwind before continuing your endeavors.”

“Oh, but... but we’re so close, Thor!” Jane said, voice subsiding. “We got – it’s not perfect, but it does what it’s supposed to, but it doesn’t do _everything_ —”

Clint raised his voice from where he was cuddling Bruce, rubbing at Bruce’s neck and shoulders. “Cheesy popcorn.”

“Cheesy…?” Tony said, and his stomach growled.

Jane huffed. “Men. So weak. We’re on the edge of a _breakthrough_ here.”

“Jane.”

Jane turned to scowl (adorably) at Thor.

“It has been five days since you have been down here.”

She blinked at him in surprise. “Five… days?”

Thor nodded gravely.

Clearing her throat, she looked around to see Bruce leaning against Clint, eyes closed as Clint massaged the tight muscles in his neck and upper back, and see Tony rocking (swaying) back and forth, hands trembling. “Well. If it’s been so long.”

Thor smiled wide. “Come, this Chinese restaurant delivers wondrous meals. You must inform me of what you would like to eat.” With that, he ushered her out of the door.

Clint slanted an unamused glance at Steve. “They’re going to be asleep before thirty minutes are up.”

“Mmm. No we’re not,” Bruce argued, interrupted by a yawn. “And I think having a Lord of the Rings marathon would be amazing.”

Steve grinned as Tony let out a heavy sigh and allowed Steve to wrap an arm around his waist. “Well, let’s get up there and sit down. Your usual order, Bruce, Tony?”

The two of them nodded, and Steve had to admit that he’d never seen someone manage to keep up and outdistance their two scientists before. “We need a better method to intervene if Jane’s going to be staying,” he whispered to Clint.

“Hah.” Clint’s mouth twisted. “I think the divide-and-conquer routine we just did works. Or we could send Natasha down.”

True to predictions, before Frodo volunteered to take the ring to Mordor, the three of them were out like lights, splayed on top of or cuddled up next to their significant others.

“You poor, ineffectual partners of scientists,” Natasha teased, and Clint gave her the finger.


End file.
